Of Silence And Blood
by Dianogon
Summary: When Corrin wants to propose to Azura, she learns of a truth she couldn't possibly have seen coming. However, for the princess, it doesn't make all that much of a difference. (Written for Azurrin Week 2016 Day 1, Prompt being "Bloodlines".)


"Thank you for joining me, Azura," Corrin turned around to face the other girl, while keeping a hold of her hand. Her face lit up even more than it already was, and a radiant smile formed on her lips at the sight of the girl she loved. Even a sudden chuckle escaped the princess' lips, earning a curious lift of Azura's brow.

"What's got into you today?" The albino only laughed again, before bringing the hand she was holding to her mouth to plant a soft kiss on it.

"I can't help it, you're just too beautiful not to smile to."

"Flatterer," Azura muttered, feeling her face heat up. The wink that followed certainly didn't make her situation any better, but of course she smiled back at the gesture. How could she not? Somehow this girl had a knack for melting her heart in the most unexpected ways.

The princess turned back around once more and continued leading Azura deeper into the woods, humming a seemingly incoherent tune.

"Are you sure it's safe to wander away so far from camp?" The songstress questioned out loud. Her eyes wandered around to the vast amount of pine trees that obscured any view of the sky above. "I've never been here before."

"Certainly, I've even patrolled this area myself beforehand to make sure. Trust me, all right?"

Even though Azura knew Corrin wasn't facing her, she merely nodded without any other words. Thoughts of where the girl wanted to bring her filled her mind, prompting her to look at their intertwined hands. When had she come to trust someone like this again? No, it wasn't just trust. The princess was special to her, and she had grown so close to her in so little time. Her thoughts continued for a moment, until the other girl came to a sudden halt.

"Hey Azura?" Corrin completely snapped her out of her thoughts, grinning at the songstress' surprised look. "We're here."

As the Vallite princess looked past the albino, her eyes widened. In front of her was an open space in the dense forest, with a tiny pond that reflected the beautiful star-filled night sky.

"Like it?"

"It's beautiful! How did you...?"

"Hinoka told me about this place yesterday when she came back from patrol, and I thought it was the perfect place to spend some time with you. Want to watch the stars together?"

It was her turn to chuckle at her girlfriend's sweet words. "Sure thing."

After taking place in the soft grass before the water, with Azura laying her head onto Corrin's lap, they both stayed silent for a while, content with simply being in each other's presence. Well, not exactly; the albino occasionally stole glances from the songstress, blushing a bit as the other girl easily noticed.

"Say, Azura... You wear a lot of accessories, right? Your necklace, then those golden... things I don't even know the name of on your leg, and that ankle bracelet."

"Hmm?" the blue haired girl hummed at the question. "I suppose I do."

"Why don't you wear any rings?"

"Rings?" Azura repeated, slightly taken aback by the question. Feeling Corrin take her hand and brush her fingers lightly, she pondered her words. "I guess I never really got any rings that I particularly liked." She wondered if she might have given the wrong answer as the princess merely locked gazes with her for a moment, not speaking a word. Eventually, she took a deep breath and spoke up.

"What if I gave you this one? Would you wear it?" In the same hand she had been caressing earlier she now placed a tiny black box. The other girl's eyes widened as she opened it, revealing a small golden ring with a blue stone on it, perfectly matching her mother's necklace.

"Oh my, Corrin, is this...?" Her voice only came out as a soft whisper.

"Look, Azura. We've been together for a quite few months, and my love for you has only grown since then. Your voice is mesmerizing and your beauty stunning so much that I never want to take my eyes of you again," Corrin tried to explain her feelings, but found it increasingly difficult to express what she felt in words. "Your words and smile are my grounding in a world that seemingly always finds a way to work against me." Azura had got off her lap when she had got the box, so she brought her hand to her cheek and leaned forward, lightly pressing her forehead against the other girl's. "You've always been here for me, so I want to do the same for you. With this war going on, moments like these are fleeting and there's always a risk of one of these moments being our last..." She momentarily trailed off to lean in and capture her lips for a short kiss. "I love you so much, Azura. I wish to protect you and love you until the end of my days, so... Won't you grant me the honour of being my-"

"No, please stop," Azura suddenly interrupted, brushing off the albino's hand and pressing the box back into her hands. "I can't be. I just can't." The words had left her lips before she could even think about it clearly. When she looked into the princess' eyes, her look of pain and confusion made it feel as though her own words had stabbed her right through her heart.

"I see..." Corrin muttered, not able to make eye contact any longer. "I'm sorry for bringing this up," she spoke a little louder now, but her voice was shaky as she was fighting to prevent any tears to roll down her cheeks. "I'm pathetic."

"Corrin, you don't understand!" Azura tried to explain. She wanted to accept the ring and be happy, gods, she wanted nothing more, but now she realised she shouldn't even have accepted her feelings months ago. "I'd love nothing more, but this isn't right. I'm sorry for keeping this a secret Corrin, I'm sorry for being selfish—"

"What are you talking about?"

"I can't tell you any more here, because of the curse, but our mothers...They were sisters."

"...We're cousins?" A frown appeared on the princess' face. "How long have you known this?"

"Your mother couldn't tell me anything about you know where because of the curse, but she's been hinting strongly towards it. After her death, I was able to confirm it, but we were already together, and I couldn't leave you." She looked away. "I should have, because it's only making things harder now, but...Corrin, what are you doing?"

Though she was still talking, Corrin was smiling again. Taking a hold of the songstress' hand made her quiet down, confusing her even more. Even though she was telling her they couldn't be together, she was sliding that ring on her finger and Azura herself didn't have the power to stop her.

"If you hadn't told me, I would've never known. No one else knows about this, right?" She didn't quite wait for an answer though. "This doesn't change my feelings for you at all."

"You don't have to do this anymore if you don't want to—"

"But I do! Don't you feel the same?" A sigh escaped as she sat up to kneel in front of the other girl. "I don't care, Azura. I'll ask you again. Won't you grand me the honour of being my wife?"

"Corrin..." She was crying now, and almost cursed under her breath for it. In a daze she leaned forward and kissed her princess, the suddenness of the moment make it a little more sloppy than she wanted. Backing away again, she added. "I'd love nothing more!"

They stayed there till well into the night, enjoying their moment together as much as possible. Their intertwined bloodlines might have come as a shock to Corrin, but she didn't care—She believed their bonds were too strong to let go like this. It seemed that, this time, the world was on her side for once.


End file.
